Taylor County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Taylor County Courthouse in Butler | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:32°33′N84°15′W / 32.55°N 84.25°W /32.55; -84.25 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | January 15, 1852; 174 years ago (1852-01-15) |
| Named after | Zachary Taylor |
| Seat | Butler |
| Largest city | Butler |
| Area | |
• Total | 380 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Land | 377 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Water | 3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2) 0.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,816 |
• Estimate (2024) | 7,783 |
| • Density | 20.7/sq mi (8.00/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
Taylor County is acounty located in the west central portion of theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census, the population was 7,816.[1] Thecounty seat and largest city isButler.[2]
Taylor County was created on January 15, 1852, by an act of theGeorgia General Assembly from portions ofMacon,Marion andTalbot counties. The county is named forZachary Taylor, twelfthPresident of the United States.[3]
Taylor County is also widely known for its history of racism and Jim Crow era subjugation of its African-American populace, which continued long into the 20th century.[4][5] An especially egregious case is the 1946 lynching ofMaceo Snipes, a World War II veteran and the first African-American to vote in Taylor County, for which he was murdered by the KKK on his doorstep in the hours following. Although not immediately succumbing to his wounds, Mr. Snipes death was eventually caused by the lack of availability of "black blood", or transfusions from a black person, at aButler, Georgia hospital to which he was forced to walk three miles with gunshot wounds to his back. The murderers were never tried or otherwise held to account for their crimes, despite the involvement of the FBI. Mr. Snipes' murder was a motivating factor in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s first and only letter to theAtlanta Constitution at age 17, decrying the terrorismexperienced by black citizens[6] in the state at that time, which occurred largely at the hands of or with the blessing of the local and state authorities.[7][8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 377 square miles (980 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.8%) is water.[9]
Taylor County is dissected by theFall Line geological formation. The upper half of the county is located in thePiedmont region and consists of gently rolling hills andclay-based soils. The lower half of the county is located in the UpperAtlantic Coastal Plain and is markedly flatter and the soil more sandy. TheFlint River marks the entirety of the county's northeastern border.
The county is driven by a largely agricultural economy.Peaches,strawberries,pecans,peanuts,watermelons, andcotton are the most commonly raised crops. Lumbering is also important to the local economy. The county is heavily forested in most areas due in part to the many largeplantation pine farms. There are also many desirable hardwood forests, especially along the Flint River basin and tributary streams. The southwestern portion of the county is covered with largesandhills that have given rise to several stable sand mining operations.
The county supports a very healthy population of animals, includingwhite-tailed deer,wild turkey,eastern cottontail,raccoon,coyote,bobcat,nine-banded armadillo,Virginia opossum,red-tailed hawk, and the federally endangeredFlorida gopher tortoise. Taylor County is home to five of North America'svenomous snakes (eastern diamondback rattlesnake,timber rattlesnake,Carolina pygmy rattlesnake,eastern coral snake,water moccasin, andcopperhead), representing every North American family of venomous snake.
The dominant tree species aresouthern red oak,post oak,longleaf pine,loblolly pine,sweetgum, andred maple. Taylor County contains the largest stands ofAtlantic white cedar in the state of Georgia. These stands can be found along much of Whitewater and Little Whitewater creeks and are at the heart of a growing movement to conserve these unique plant communities for posterity.
The vast majority of Taylor County is located in the UpperFlint River sub-basin of theACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with the exception of a tiny corner of the county just north ofGeorgia, which is located in the MiddleChattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 5,998 | — | |
| 1870 | 7,143 | 19.1% | |
| 1880 | 8,597 | 20.4% | |
| 1890 | 8,666 | 0.8% | |
| 1900 | 9,846 | 13.6% | |
| 1910 | 10,839 | 10.1% | |
| 1920 | 11,473 | 5.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,617 | −7.5% | |
| 1940 | 10,768 | 1.4% | |
| 1950 | 9,113 | −15.4% | |
| 1960 | 8,311 | −8.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,865 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 7,902 | 0.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,642 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 8,815 | 15.3% | |
| 2010 | 8,906 | 1.0% | |
| 2020 | 7,816 | −12.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 7,783 | [11] | −0.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1880[13] 1890-1910[14] 1920-1930[15] 1930-1940[16] 1940-1950[17] 1960-1980[18] 1980-2000[19] 2010[20] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,584 | 58.65% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,807 | 35.91% |
| Native American | 27 | 0.35% |
| Asian | 29 | 0.37% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 199 | 2.55% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 168 | 2.15% |
As of the2020 census, there were 7,816 people and 2,208 families residing in the county.[22]
The median age was 45.3 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.6 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[23]
There were 3,249 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[22]
There were 3,894 housing units, of which 16.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.8% were owner-occupied and 31.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%.[22]
The racial makeup of the county was 59.4% White, 36.2%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.[24]
As of the 2020s, Taylor County is a Republican stronghold, voting 65.29% forDonald Trump in2024. For elections to theUnited States House of Representatives, Taylor County is part ofGeorgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented bySanford Bishop. For elections to theGeorgia State Senate, Taylor County is part ofDistrict 15.[25] For elections to theGeorgia House of Representatives, Taylor County is part ofDistrict 150.[26]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 98 | 21.44% | 342 | 74.84% | 17 | 3.72% |
| 1916 | 113 | 19.65% | 405 | 70.43% | 57 | 9.91% |
| 1920 | 211 | 30.06% | 491 | 69.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 96 | 19.75% | 370 | 76.13% | 20 | 4.12% |
| 1928 | 353 | 37.43% | 590 | 62.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 44 | 6.01% | 685 | 93.58% | 3 | 0.41% |
| 1936 | 147 | 15.96% | 771 | 83.71% | 3 | 0.33% |
| 1940 | 213 | 21.07% | 796 | 78.73% | 2 | 0.20% |
| 1944 | 269 | 25.82% | 773 | 74.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 99 | 8.99% | 638 | 57.95% | 364 | 33.06% |
| 1952 | 277 | 14.16% | 1,679 | 85.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 276 | 16.88% | 1,359 | 83.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 365 | 23.31% | 1,201 | 76.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,372 | 55.55% | 1,097 | 44.41% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1968 | 393 | 14.50% | 691 | 25.50% | 1,626 | 60.00% |
| 1972 | 1,580 | 75.45% | 514 | 24.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 504 | 20.44% | 1,962 | 79.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 815 | 30.21% | 1,845 | 68.38% | 38 | 1.41% |
| 1984 | 1,292 | 49.09% | 1,340 | 50.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,145 | 50.13% | 1,134 | 49.65% | 5 | 0.22% |
| 1992 | 1,078 | 37.53% | 1,508 | 52.51% | 286 | 9.96% |
| 1996 | 1,002 | 37.77% | 1,450 | 54.66% | 201 | 7.58% |
| 2000 | 1,412 | 50.79% | 1,340 | 48.20% | 28 | 1.01% |
| 2004 | 1,912 | 56.52% | 1,458 | 43.10% | 13 | 0.38% |
| 2008 | 2,021 | 56.34% | 1,536 | 42.82% | 30 | 0.84% |
| 2012 | 1,948 | 55.03% | 1,572 | 44.41% | 20 | 0.56% |
| 2016 | 2,064 | 60.56% | 1,296 | 38.03% | 48 | 1.41% |
| 2020 | 2,420 | 62.99% | 1,388 | 36.13% | 34 | 0.88% |
| 2024 | 2,600 | 65.29% | 1,366 | 34.30% | 16 | 0.40% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 2,399 | 63.26% | 1,312 | 34.60% | 81 | 2.14% |
| 2020 | 2,118 | 61.07% | 1,350 | 38.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 1,173 | 31.12% | 962 | 25.52% | 1,634 | 43.35% |
| 2020 | 2,418 | 63.55% | 1,387 | 36.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 2,020 | 63.13% | 1,145 | 35.78% | 35 | 1.09% |
| 2022 | 1,879 | 62.55% | 1,125 | 37.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 2,137 | 66.45% | 1,069 | 33.24% | 10 | 0.31% |
Places adjacent to Taylor County, Georgia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofTaylor County, Georgia,United States | ||
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